Stringmaster Owners...Check In Here...

Michael Lee Allen · Post by **Michael Lee Allen** » 30 Dec 2011 7:38 pm

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Michael Lee Allen · Post by **Michael Lee Allen** » 30 Dec 2011 7:43 pm

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Michael Lee Allen · Post by **Michael Lee Allen** » 30 Dec 2011 7:48 pm

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Michael Lee Allen · Post by **Michael Lee Allen** » 30 Dec 2011 7:54 pm

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Michael Lee Allen · Post by **Michael Lee Allen** » 30 Dec 2011 8:15 pm

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Tom Wolverton · Post by **Tom Wolverton** » 30 Dec 2011 9:50 pm

My mid-60's vintage D-8. I love this guitar. A gig at the Swallows Inn in San Juan Capistrano.

Michael Lee Allen · Post by **Michael Lee Allen** » 31 Dec 2011 9:43 am

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Michael Lee Allen · Post by **Michael Lee Allen** » 31 Dec 2011 9:47 am

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Michael Lee Allen · Post by **Michael Lee Allen** » 31 Dec 2011 9:50 am

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Michael Lee Allen · Post by **Michael Lee Allen** » 31 Dec 2011 9:51 am

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Mike Anderson · Post by **Mike Anderson** » 31 Dec 2011 10:19 am

Michael Lee, thanks so much for this amazing collection of pictures, and happy New Year!

Jean-Sebastien Gauthier · Post by **Jean-Sebastien Gauthier** » 31 Dec 2011 10:56 am

Bought mine about a month ago from Roger on the forum and really like it!!

Rick Collins · Post by **Rick Collins** » 31 Dec 2011 11:05 am

...all very interesting.
Does anyone know the approximate retail price of the Stringmaster models (Fender MSRP), when they first appeared on the market?

Michael Lee Allen · Post by **Michael Lee Allen** » 31 Dec 2011 11:26 am

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Terry VunCannon · Post by **Terry VunCannon** » 1 Jan 2012 9:10 am

Back on topic for checking in...here is the D-6 onstage at the New Year's Eve gig...

Michael Johnstone · Post by **Michael Johnstone** » 1 Jan 2012 7:51 pm

56 T-8

Jerry Gleason · Post by **Jerry Gleason** » 2 Jan 2012 1:37 am

Here's my '59:

and a video of it in action here:

Twin Guitar Special

Jim Behnke · Post by **Jim Behnke** » 2 Jan 2012 12:21 pm

'57 Dlx 8 I got from Brad B a decade ago.

Still learnin' 1 neck before I attempt 2...

Norman Evans · Post by **Norman Evans** » 5 Jan 2012 7:19 pm

This is before refinish. It was almost a basket case.

Norm[/img]

Bill Wynne · Post by **Bill Wynne** » 7 Feb 2012 10:18 am

Checking in... I had been playing a '48 Dual Professional for nearly 20 years. But I brought home a '55 triple-neck Stringmaster from my last trip to Hawaii. I got it in a trade, no less (but that trade cost me dearly no matter how I look at it).

It is my understanding that it was previously owned by Bobby Ingano. It even had some of his handwritten notes in the case. But as Bobby is legendarily elusive, I have not been able to contact him to find out who might have owned it before him. I would love to know that it was once the property of, oh, say, Barney Isaacs or Danny Stewart.

Derrick Mau, do you still hang out here? What do you know about this "find?"

~ Bill Wynne

Mark Bridge · Post by **Mark Bridge** » 8 Feb 2012 7:07 am

Great thread here. The dual 8 is a great addition for me after playing my 1955 Deluxe 6 for a bit - still a newbee compared to you guys on steel. This has the original slider switch so I'm assuming this may be a 1954? The S/N is 3231 but I haven't seen anything on dating these (no reply from Fender). The date inside the pan cavity is obscured with tinted lacquer overflow, but you can still see the infamous L. The scale length is 24 1/2 so maybe early 55. Also has the toggle switch through each string cover.

Everything seems to be working OK and it sounds great. Looks as is one of pots was changed due to different stems and I'll need to dig up a wiring diagram if anyone has a link to one.

Someone also installed a large tuner which gouged a bit of wood in the pan cavity, another fix in the works. I have a thin Kluson tuner (Gotoh from Stewmac) that fits perfectly, just getting a long enough post seems to be the challenge.

These are all things that can be fixed, but lovin' this guitar, finally 8 strings, and the sound is incredible!

Erv Niehaus · Post by **Erv Niehaus** » 8 Feb 2012 7:21 am

That toggle switch through the bridge cover is evidently a retro-fit to replace the blend control that came from the factory.

Mark Bridge · Post by **Mark Bridge** » 8 Feb 2012 9:06 am

Can you tell me more about the blend control? Is it variable or simply on/off? I hate retrofits like this, but hoping I can restore if possible...thanks!

Erv Niehaus · Post by **Erv Niehaus** » 8 Feb 2012 9:20 am

Mark,
The guitar you have came with a blend control.
It was a flat round knurled disk that you could rotate to bring one of the pickups in and out of the sound in varying degrees. One of the pickups was always on and you adjusted the sound coming from the other pickup. It appears that what you have is an on/off toggle.

Mark Bridge · Post by **Mark Bridge** » 8 Feb 2012 12:07 pm

Thanks that helps a bunch! Now the hard part of course is the parts challenge we all face, trying to find someone who would actually have the blend control hardware, wiring schematic, and I would assume there's a pot in the mix there too. Thanks for the help here - your triple looks great, very nice!

The Steel Guitar Forum

Stringmaster Owners...Check In Here...

New to the Stringmaster-finally 8 strings!

Blend Control

Picture's worth a 1000 words...